Air India release details of pilot and crew on doomed Gatwick flight after horror crash
Details have been released about the pilot and crew on board the Air India flight that went down today, resulting in the deaths of at least 110 people.
Indian authorities have released details about the pilot and crew on board the Air India flight that crashed today. The flight was bound for London Gatwick but went down shortly after take off this morning as it carried 242 passengers. A statement was issued by India’s directorate general of civil aviation giving details about the pilot and crew. "Captain Sumeet Sabharwal is an LTC with 8,200 hours of experience," it reads. "The co-pilot had 1100 hours of flying experience.
"As per ATC, the aircraft departed from Ahmadabad at 1339 IST (0809 UTC) from runway 23. It gave a mayday call to ATC, but thereafter, no response was given by the aircraft to the calls made by ATC. Aircraft immediately after departure from Runway 23, fell on the ground outside the airport perimeter. Heavy black smoke was seen coming from the accident site."
Early reports have revealed that at least 110 people have been killed as a result of the crash. Meanwhile, eye witness accounts describe the site of dead bodies among the debris.
One local told Press Trust of India: "I was at home when we heard a massive sound. When we went out to see what had happened, there was a layer of thick smoke in the air. When we came here, dead bodies and debris from the crashed aircraft were scattered all over."
The plane crashed into a residential area Meghani Nagar five minutes after taking off at 1.38pm local time. The flight was due to arrive at 6.25pm London Gatwick.
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The passenger list for the flight indicates there were 217 adults and 11 children on board. These included 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian.
"The UK is working with local authorities in India to urgently establish the facts and provide support to those involved," the UK Foreign Office has said. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he is being kept "updated". He wrote in a statement: "My thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time."
A mayday call revealed that the plane was suffering an engine failure before it went down. It is the first crash involving a Boeing 787 aircraft, according to the Aviation Safety Network database.
